Tips for making any job betterPhoto: ThinkstockBy Dan Buettner

To write his book, Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way, Dan Buettner teamed with psychologists and scientists to seek out the world's happiest people. We asked him to apply the lessons he's learned to the search for workaday bliss-whether you've already found your dream job or you're still dreaming:

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1. Get away from the grind: Studies show that leisure time can mitigate job-related stress, reduce the risk of depression, and improve self-esteem. No wonder, then, that Denmark, where employers are required to give five to six weeks of paid time off each year, is one of the happiest places on Earth. Contrast that with the United States, where the average American worker receives only about 16 paid vacation days each year-and more than a third of us don't even take them all. The first rule: Never leave vacation days on the table. Even if you don't have the money to splurge on an exotic trip, a "staycation"

Recently, I attended the Massachusetts Conference for Women and listened to Samantha Ettus (personal branding expert, bestselling author, media personality, and mother of three young children) give a presentation on balancing work and motherhood.
 
I was probably the only person in the room without a child, but since I'm thirteen weeks pregnant and run my own business, I figured that I should attend and try to get a clue.

Here are my notes from the session. I'm curious to know what strategies you agree with, as well as what techniques you use as a single parent, since many of Samantha's tips assume you're in a relationship.



1. Turn you spouse into an equal partner
One of the things the group discussed is how you must expect your partner to be equally engaged in childcare. If they don't 'get it,' try swapping schedules for a week (for example, if you usually rise early to get the kids ready for school and your partner sleeps in but works late, switch schedules for a week and see how

Probably not, but it could annoy your co-workers. Whether you're the intern or the boss, learn how to be polite at work with basic office manners.

1. Don't check personal devices during a meeting attended by your boss or anyone else who can make her disapproval your problem.

2. Don't pop up and "prairie dog" beside someone's cubicle, holding a conversation as a disembodied head.

3. Don't use a speakerphone unless you're in your office and holding a meeting that's being attended by someone remotely. Alert the person you're speaking with that others are present, and close the door. FYI: Using a speakerphone at full volume to go through your voice mailbox is the definition of annoying.

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4. When answering the phone, state your name and place of business: "Widgets, Incorporated. Susan Smith speaking. How may I help you?"

5. When leaving voice mails, state your name, place of business, and number. Succinctly say why you're calling.

As more and more young people are entering the workplace with a bachelor's degree, finding a job has become highly competitive. That's why something a little more than the "standard" paper resume can come in handy.

Now most job-seekers I know have a LinkedIn profile (if you don't know what that looks like, here's mine). LinkedIn is THE premier online resume spot, and if you are looking for work you need a LinkedIn profile. In addition, I've been headhunted through LinkedIn nearly a dozen times this year, so it's a great place to show off your skill set. But just like a real resume, it needs to be updated regularly AND spell- and grammar-checked. Do yourself a favor and don't skimp on the proofreading.

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If you want to take it a step further, there are some great spots online to create a fabulous looking visual resume. Check out my 3 top picks below:

TagCrowd

This site is a word-cloud generator. You can plug in your personal

If you thought cheerleaders were just bubbleheads or mean girls, think again. Some of America’s most successful women, such as journalist Katie Couric and actress Meryl Streep, were once cheerleaders. Believe it or not, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wielded pompoms for her Brooklyn high school back in the 1940s. Nicole Lauchaire, V.P. of Corporate Marketing at Varsity Brands, Inc,. the umbrella organization for high school and college cheerleading nationwide, points out, “If you can get 80,000 people to their feet screaming 'Win!' for your team, you are definitely a leader.”

When Lauchaire was recently invited to co-host the televised national high school cheerleading championships for ESPN, a job well out of her comfort zone, she drew on her experience as a cheerleader. “I was terrified, but I thought of all the things I had done over the years that had made me nervous: my first high school game, my first college game, the first time I taught a group of 1000

Photo: ThinkstockThe political strategist explains how detours and shortcomings can get you where you want to go.

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I stood up to authority.
At 12 I was an assistant softball coach. Telling my mom why I had to bench my sister taught me I could make tough decisions for the greater good.

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I was fiscally irresponsible.
In my 20s, I'd blow all my money on a Eurail pass and return broke but happy. I learned the only way to save was to put my credit cards in the freezer and pour water over them.

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I ran my mouth.
My mom once bought me a cassette player so I'd shut up and listen to some music. If she'd lived to see me on TV, she'd see that worked.

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I failed.
In 2000 I achieved my dream of managing a presidential campaign-Al Gore's. Though I really believed he could make a difference, the job was stressful and thankless. A few months after we lost, I

Kristin Richmond and Kirsten Tobey, the founders of Revolution Foods, a privately held company that creates nutritious and tasty breakfasts, lunches, and snacks for schools, were pleased when undercover blogger "Mrs. Q" recently shed light on the dismal choices found in most cafeterias. However, what Mrs. Q failed to offer, they point out, is solutions. Over the last five years, that is exactly what their business has been doing, school by school, student by student.

Revolution Foods began as a joint grad school project at the U.C. Berkeley School of Business. Tobey, a former schoolteacher, and Richmond, a Wall Street drop-out who started a school for kids with special needs in Nairobi, had idealistic goals: to provide healthy, delicious school lunches to kids with the greatest economic need-and to do so for less than $3 per meal (which is about what the government will reimburse schools for under their free and reduced-cost lunch program). From the beginning, critics said it